International Journal of Cardiology: Heart & Vasculature (Jun 2024)
Cardiovascular testing recovery in Latin America one year into the COVID-19 pandemic: An analysis of data from an international longitudinal survey
- Luca Bremner,
- Joao Vitola,
- Rodrigo Cerci,
- Roxana Campisi,
- Raúl Araujo Ríos,
- Teresa Massardo,
- Claudia Gutierrez-Villamil,
- Felix Solis,
- Amalia Peix,
- Herwin Speckter,
- Mayra Sanchez Velez,
- Ana Camila Flores,
- Ernest Madu,
- Erick Alexánderson-Rosas,
- José Ortellado,
- Rosanna Morales,
- Fernando Mut,
- Luisa Vera,
- Cole B. Hirschfeld,
- Leslee J. Shaw,
- Michelle C. Williams,
- Todd C. Villines,
- Nathan Better,
- Sharmila Dorbala,
- Ganesan Karthikeyan,
- Eli Malkovskiy,
- Yosef A. Cohen,
- Michael Randazzo,
- Thomas N.B. Pascual,
- Yaroslav Pynda,
- Maurizio Dondi,
- Diana Paez,
- Andrew J. Einstein
Affiliations
- Luca Bremner
- Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Joao Vitola
- Quanta Diagnostico, Curitiba, Brazil
- Rodrigo Cerci
- Quanta Diagnostico, Curitiba, Brazil
- Roxana Campisi
- Diagnóstico Maipú and Instituto Argentino de Diagnóstico Y Tratamiento S.A., Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Raúl Araujo Ríos
- Instituto de Medicina Nuclear, Sucre, Bolivia
- Teresa Massardo
- Hospital Clinico Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Claudia Gutierrez-Villamil
- Fundacion Cardioinfantil, Instituto de Cardiologia, Bogota, Colombia
- Felix Solis
- Hospital Escalante Pradilla, Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica
- Amalia Peix
- Institute of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, La Habana, Cuba
- Herwin Speckter
- Cedimat, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Mayra Sanchez Velez
- Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Cardiología Y a La Sociedad Española de Imagen Cardíaca, Ecuador
- Ana Camila Flores
- Clinica de Radiologia Brito Mejia Peña, San Salvador, El Salvador
- Ernest Madu
- Heart Institute of the Caribbean and HIC Heart Hospital, Kingston, Jamaica
- Erick Alexánderson-Rosas
- Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia Ignacio Chavez, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico
- José Ortellado
- Central Hospital, Social Institute, Asunción, Paraguay
- Rosanna Morales
- Departamento de Medicina Nuclear, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas, Lima, Peru
- Fernando Mut
- Italian Hospital, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Luisa Vera
- Urologico San Roman, Caracas, Venezuela
- Cole B. Hirschfeld
- Division of Cardiology, Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA
- Leslee J. Shaw
- Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Michelle C. Williams
- BHF Centre for Cardiovascular Science, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Todd C. Villines
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Nathan Better
- Cabrini Health, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Monash University and University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, Melbourne, Australia
- Sharmila Dorbala
- Departments of Medicine and Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Ganesan Karthikeyan
- Department of Cardiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
- Eli Malkovskiy
- Seymour, Paul and Gloria Milstein Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA; University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA
- Yosef A. Cohen
- Seymour, Paul and Gloria Milstein Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA; Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA; Children's Hospital at Montefiore, New York, NY, USA
- Michael Randazzo
- Section of Cardiology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
- Thomas N.B. Pascual
- Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, Quezon City, Philippines
- Yaroslav Pynda
- Division of Human Health, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
- Maurizio Dondi
- Division of Human Health, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
- Diana Paez
- Division of Human Health, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
- Andrew J. Einstein
- Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Seymour, Paul and Gloria Milstein Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA; Department of Radiology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY, USA; Corresponding author at: Columbia University Irving Medical Center, Seymour, Paul, and Gloria Milstein Division of Cardiology, 622 West 168th Street PH 10-203, New York, NY 10032, USA.
- Journal volume & issue
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Vol. 52
p. 101404
Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted Latin America (LATAM), significantly disrupting cardiovascular testing. This study evaluated cardiac procedure recovery in LATAM one year after the outbreak. Methods: The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) surveyed 669 centers in 107 countries worldwide, including 135 facilities in 19 LATAM countries, to assess cardiovascular procedure volumes in March 2019, April 2020, and April 2021, and changes in center practices and staffing conditions one year into the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: LATAM centers reported a 21 % decrease in procedure volumes in April 2021 from pre-pandemic-baseline, vs. a 0 % change in the rest of the world (RoW), and greater volume reductions for almost all procedure types. Centers in Central America and Mexico reported the largest procedure reductions (47 % reduction) compared to the Caribbean (15 %), and South America (14 %, p = 0.01), and this LATAM region was a significant predictor of lower procedure recovery in multivariable regression. More LATAM centers reported reduced salaries and increased layoffs of clinical staff compared to RoW, and LATAM respondents estimated that half of physician and non-physician staff experienced excess psychological stress related to the pandemic, compared to 25 % and 30 % in RoW (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Cardiovascular testing recovery in LATAM trailed behind RoW for most procedure types, with centers in Central America and Mexico reporting the greatest volume reductions. This study found lasting impacts of COVID-19 on cardiovascular care in LATAM and the need for mental health support for LATAM healthcare workers in current and future pandemics.
